1 ant- | Definition of ant-
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

ant

noun
\ ˈant How to pronounce ant (audio) \

Definition of ant

 (Entry 1 of 6)

: any of a family (Formicidae) of colonial hymenopterous insects with a complex social organization and various castes performing special duties
ants in one's pants
: impatience for action or activity : restlessness

ant

abbreviation (1)

Definition of ant (Entry 2 of 6)

1 antenna
2 antonym

Ant

abbreviation (2)

Definition of Ant (Entry 3 of 6)

Antarctica

ant-

prefix

Definition of ant- (Entry 4 of 6)

— see anti-

-ant

noun suffix

Definition of -ant (Entry 5 of 6)

1a : one that performs (a specified action) : personal or impersonal agent claimant coolant
b : thing that promotes (a specified action or process) expectorant
2 : one connected with annuitant
3 : thing acted upon (in a specified manner) inhalant

-ant

adjective suffix

Definition of -ant (Entry 6 of 6)

1 : performing (a specified action) or being (in a specified condition) somnambulant
2 : promoting (a specified action or process) expectorant

Examples of ant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 Police noted that the baby had labored breathing with ants crawling on it and a soiled diaper. — Ben Tobin, The Courier-Journal, "16-day-old baby found on car floor covered in ants, Laurel County police say," 19 Aug. 2019 So as scientists unravel one mystery of the zombie ant, more mysteries pop up in its place. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "Now We Know How the Zombie Ant Gets Its Bite," 17 July 2019 When the researchers moved the felt patch in an oscillating wave pattern, the swarm moved with it, allowing them to study the midges the way Hu had done with his ants. — Quanta Magazine, "How Swarming Insects Act Like Fluids," 10 July 2019 The few that weren’t outright stolen had the ants and wasps in them. — Bonnie Blodgett, Twin Cities, "Blundering Gardener: A super hardy variety in a pear tree," 27 July 2019 People dress in costumes to represent facets of life in the vineyards: insects like ants and grasshoppers; or pests like raisin-pecking starlings; young lovers frolicking among the vines; droughts and storms that confound winegrowers. — Jamey Keaten, chicagotribune.com, "Swiss celebrate once-in-a-generation winegrowers’ fest," 24 July 2019 Now Inoue makes dragonflies, beetles, ants, and whatever else inspires him, using materials from his own backyard. — Daniel Stone, National Geographic, "These portraits of insects aren’t actually insects at all," 17 July 2019 Do disparate animals with the equivalent of fad diets — eating only ants and termites, for instance — develop similar gut microbiota over evolutionary time? — Joshua Sokol, New York Times, "The Vampire Birds of the Galápagos Have Fascinating Inner Lives," 8 June 2019 Natives of Madagascar, these tiny ants can snap their jaws shut at around 200 miles per hour, making them the fastest-moving creature on the planet. — Linda Rodriguez Mcrobbie, BostonGlobe.com, "These animals are so ugly. But we need them.," 2 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of ant

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for ant

Noun

Middle English ante, emete, from Old English æmette; akin to Old High German āmeiza ant

Noun suffix

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from -ant, present participle suffix, from Latin -ant-, -ans, present participle suffix of first conjugation, from -a- (stem vowel of first conjugation) + -nt-, -ns, present participle suffix; akin to Old English -nde, present participle suffix, Greek -nt-, -n, participle suffix

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for ant

ant

noun
How to pronounce -ant (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of ant

 (Entry 1 of 3)

: a kind of small insect that lives in an organized social group

-ant

noun suffix

English Language Learners Definition of -ant (Entry 2 of 3)

: a person or thing that does a specified thing

-ant

adjective suffix

English Language Learners Definition of -ant (Entry 3 of 3)

: doing a specified thing or behaving in a specified way

See the full definition for -ant in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ant

noun
\ ˈant How to pronounce ant (audio) \

Kids Definition of ant

: a small insect related to the bees and wasps that lives in colonies and forms nests in the ground or in wood in which it stores food and raises its young

ant.

abbreviation

Kids Definition of ant.

antonym

ant-

Kids Definition of ant-

see anti-

-ant

noun suffix
\ ənt\

Kids Definition of -ant

 (Entry 1 of 5)

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!